I have a P MMX 233 MHz w/ 64 MB ram which is exactly was VectorLinux says you need to enjoy their OS...only problem is i only have a 535 MB hard drive...and less after swap space...according to the site I can't install on this small...is it possible or not? I also need another 90 MB of space for the java SDK.

Also Is it possile to install a second 535 MB hard drive in it and use them both as /?

Yeah, that's not a lot of drive space to work with. I have an old laptop with 800 MB, and I did a fairly minimal Slackware install on it, and it didn't take long before I had nothing left.

To your second question, it is quite easy to use a second hard drive to share some of the OS. Depending on how you want to set things up, you could have the second hard drive for /usr, /home, or other sub-directories.

So Why 535? Do you have another one lying around? With two drives of that size, your still only talking about just over 1GB, which still isn't a lot. (I'm not sure about Vector, but to put things in perspective, a full Slack install requires apx. 2 GB minimum). If you'r looking at something for mainly console work, not needing much in the way of X and that lot, then you're probably OK. If you're needing much more than that, my recommendation would be to invest in a new HD. even a something around 10GB +/- isn't very expensive.

Does that help?

vector says you only need 780 MB (i think) to install...w/ the two drives that would leave me plenty of space for the SDK and a few java programs i make. Is there no way to mount both drives as / though? If ther eisnt how would I decide whic folders to mount on the second drive so ill have enough install room?

Maybe this sounds like a plan:
Do a non-gui install on the first disk ,then mount the second disk to install X.
Needs a little puzling on what dirs to mount on that second disk.

Ofcourse , if you're not using a GUI , that 535 disk should be sufficient.(but still it'll be pretty crowded)

that would work...but I have no clue where to mount what...any ideas?

this is a cope out suggestion i know but you could get a 2gb hard disk of ebay for a few $ bucks and save a big headache!

I'd be all over ebay if I were 18, but I'm not so I can't use paypal. Trust me I've looked around for small cheap drives on the web and can't find any ones that are old or small. None of the used stores around town carry them either.